Fanfiction: Vital Importance of Knowledge
Rowen sighed. Her last day in this cosy little laboratory of hers. It was part of the Hell's Gate facility, and about the safest place on Pandora. Here she had all of her samples recorded in the holographic computer system that she kept, as well as physical samples of the plants in thirty separate containers, each holding forty plants each. Those were just the ones small enough to be kept in a test tube. The larger ones she kept samples of. She also had a nice warm bed, a view of and access-port to the artificial arboretum, where a bunch of plants were being tested in how they reacted to each other, including Earth, Pandoran, and genetically mixed plants. She even had her own personal bible: Dr. Grace Augustine's published book on the botany of Pandora. With this, her wrist-attached multi-tasking comm. link/GPS tracker/mini computer, her sample-taking kit and her ultrasonic pulse projector to repel any sudden encounters with wildlife, Dr. Rowen Argent, PhD in Botany, newly-employed Xenobiologist under the RDA, was perfectly happy. But now she had to leave. She was part of the R-VAP program now, and that was her first priority. She once again tried futilely to flatten her frizzy brown hair back into a pony-tail, before grabbing her would be bible, exo-pack and rucksack, and leaving her lab behind. -~-~Six months Ago~-~- "Attention you bookworms! I know you're used to staying inside and letting the real men and women do your fighting for you, well today you're going to learn a thing or two about survival! Survival is a privilege granted only to what? C'mon, one of you eggheads can quote Darwin, cantcha? GRANTED ONLY TO THE FITTEST! That lesson is the number one lesson you will learn today and you will continue learning it every day for the next six months until you go out THERE," the loud-mouthed security officer named Miles gestured wildly towards the fence that separated the humans and the rest of Pandora "Because once you are out THERE, you will stop learning it and start LIVING it! Do I make myself clear?! Now, I want to see-" The perpetual drone of Col. Miles drifted into an indecipherable bellow that Rowen didn't bother paying attention to. Why was this lunkhead of a marine becoming a smoking gun of the phrase "Say-it-don't-spray-it" right up in her face? Was this part of the new promotion Quaritch had hastily mentioned before bribing her with level three security access - Enough to maybe run into Dr. Augustine, perhaps. In her moment of weakness, Rowen had agreed to what was described as a chance to gather more samples. Now it was becoming clear.. Avatar program.. Combat training by this loud-mouthed brute.. R-VAP... All part of an RDA experiment to test the usefulness of avatars, no doubt. "Oh well," she sighed under her breath. Maybe she would get some interesting data. If she wasn't digested by an anemonid first. "Now - Which of you are Walter Feln, May Linnet and Eli Stern?" Barked the security officer. From the group of seven people who had been gathered, Rowen included, three stood out. One had silver, wispy hair, and seemed to be in around mid-fifties. She recognized him as Eli Stern, the xenolinguist who studied the Na'vi language - She knew him, but only by reputation and RDA files. Next stood out May Linnet, that young friend of Rowen's who gave her green eyes. Yes, she was quite jealous of the pretty youth's good looks, rich family and gleaming future. But she also respected her for taking up a career in anthropology when she could have borrowed daddy's credit card, bought a sports car and married some rich bachelor. Finally stood out a man Rowen didn't recognize at all, but name or appearance. Walter Feln, huh? He had a bright, optimistic face, slightly plump figure and blonde hair. "You three maggots happen to be lucky. You skip combat training, and get other assignments. Linnet, Stern - Go meet Dr. Renette up at Armor Bay. Feln, I want you with Captain Kate Pensky. Go, go, go! Out of my sight. You four!" Oh, no. Rowen thought. He seemed to be directing his entire bovine-like fury at the remaining team, them being Rowen, the weird, bald, scowl-faced man who hadn't said a word in the thirty-two minutes Rowen had known him, the talkative, good-humoured Jared, the one person who Rowen knew out of the group, and Freya, that earthy, new-agey hippy-like girl that Rowen had seen walking around the compound barefoot. For the next six months, those four were given their own special base just beside Hell's Gate, known simply as the R-VAP facility. Freya, Jared, Rowen, and the scowling man who Rowen learned was Marko Grey, were thrust into a rigorous regiment of combat training, shooting viperwolf simulations and robotic thanators in their avatars, and being thrown off of cliffs by Miles in his AMP suit... ...But at least now we're out here, in the forest! Maybe I will catalogue some new species of Ikran, or adopt a pet Thanator cub... This is the vicious, dangerous, man-eating, human-hating world of Pandora through the eyes of cheerful Jared Cloud. Every cloud has a silver lining and I'm no exception! was a favourite saying of Jared's. He was here with his closest, oldest friend, Rowen, and a bunch of interesting new people who were no doubt, like all strangers, just friends he hadn't met yet. And out there was a world of adventure and exploration just waiting to be observed. And nothing, not Miles' exaggerated threats, not Gray's pessimistic demeanour, would tarnish Jared's bright outlook. -~-~- Ker-Chunk. The vehicle bounced uncomfortably once more. Jared reached back and tapped the button on the Region-Radio. "Hey, come on, Walter, be careful, huh?" A second passed with nothing happening. Then Jared rolled his eyes, remembering Walter was a stickler for Radio Etiquette. "Right, sorry. Hey Walter, be more careful, huh? 'Over'." "That's better." Crackled the voice of the driver from the other end. "And I'm dodging Thanators out here, so maybe you could gimme a break. "All-Terrain" Vehicles don't count for the type of Terrain that tries to make a meal out of you. Over" "Oh, okay. Understood," Jared replied "Oh, wait! Did you say Thanators? Think I could get a scan of one? Uh, Over." "Not if you like having four limbs, I- Whoa, nelly!" Walter was cut off by a violent bump in the road."'' Listen, I kinda have to focus on not getting us all killed out here, so let's keep radio silence, huh? Over and out." The radio went silence, and Jared whistled in surprise at the extent of his poor attitude. Looking around his "room" jared found his duffel bag in no time. The room was a cabin just long enough to fit a bed in, not wide enough for him to hold both his arms out at once. But that was okay. The whole team had been put in a Triple-A Triple-T, as the slang would have it. Avatar-Adapted-All-Terrain-Troop-Transport. It was a huge metal truck, that was about two metres tall, but about six meters wide. It was divided into four sections to allow transport over rocky hills and ledges. All eight participants in the R-VAP programme were packed in, plus the seven link chambers and the wall-containment units for the 10ft tall Avatars. Very little room for the humans. Except, of course, Col. Miles had plenty of room in his quarters. But that wouldn't bother Jared. Heck, a Thanator eviscerating him probably couldn't tarnish his good humour. Actually, being that close to a Thanator would probably just cheer him up more. At last, the TATT (Triple-A-Triple-T. An abbreviation for an abbreviation - Jared had been thrilled when he thought of it, although the others didn't share his enthusiasm - Still, the name stuck, and jared was triumphantly cheerful) grinded to a halt in the loose mud of Pandora. Jared heard the ''clak-clak as the other passengers left their rooms and closed the steel doors. Over the intercom was Miles. "Alright gang, nothing but Hexapedes, Tapirus and Direhorse in this region, nothin' dangerous. Nothin' that can get in here, anyway - And you'll be stayin' here. Yer Avatars are what will be going out there. I'll join you in my AMP suit. We've reached Camp. Wait for my go ahead to get into your link chambers." "Great. Just what I need. More claustrophobia," Rowen remarked sarcastically whilst eying her link chamber. Jared looked down and nudged her playfully. "Oh, c'mon," He encouraged "Once you're in your avatar, you'll be free as the wind blows. We'll have a blast, right?" Rowen smiled and joked, "How come you're always trying to cheer me up? Go bother someone else, huh?" Jared laughed too. "Oh please, you couldn't get through the day without me cheering you up.." They were interrupted by the light, airy voice of the bright-blonde haired Freya. Still barefoot. "I think he's right. It should be fun." There was something creepy about her voice, but then she gave a smile so innocent that the once aghast faces of Jared and Rowen turned cheerful again. "Right," Rowen said firmly "It will be fun. Jared could make a day in the electric chair look like a trip to DisneyLand, so no worries here.." "What," Jared said slyly "Because I'm so fun to be with, I lighten your day?" "No.. Because you're so sickeningly sweet and optimistic about stuff, I actually forget what reality is like!" Freya laughed in a way that was both soft and shrill. Rowen and Jared looked at her, then all three chuckled at the odd moment. "Stop Gawkin'! Get in yer link chambers again! And stop flirting you too!" As Miles' voice came in over the intercom, Rowen blushed, fearing it was directed at her and Jared. She sighed in relief when she saw Eli and May had been chatting away non-stop as well. Jared gave her a friendly pat on the back, waved to Freya and moved over to his Link Chamber. And thus, R-VAP's first field test began. Category:Stories